Senate forum introduces candidates to 1st District voters

Democratic and Republican candidates competing for the 1st Essex state Senate seat came together for the district’s first forum on July 23, responding to questions from show hosts and a live audience.

The forum was organized and broadcast by Methuen Community Television from the Presentation of Mary Academy High School.

Five candidates took part: Republicans Sam Meas and Shaun Toohey, both of Haverhill, and Democrats Tim Coco of Haverhill, Kathleen O’Connor-Ives of Newburyport and William Manzi of Methuen.

The seat opened for the fall election in March when former incumbent Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, stepped down to accept a position with the McDermott, Will and Emery law firm. He had represented the district since 2002.

The district includes the communities of Amesbury, Haverhill, Merrimac, Methuen, Newburyport, Salisbury and several precincts in North Andover

"Enough is enough."

Meas and Toohey, describing themselves as fiscal conservatives, agreed there is a need for a Republican voice to represent the working people of the district. They differed, however, in what ways their voice could represent the state’s Republican voters.

Meas said he’d use his experience as minority business owner to represent the concern of the state’s "minority" political party.

"The Democratic party in the past 60 years has absolutely controlled the (Massachusetts political) machine," he said. "We cannot afford to send another (Democrat) to Beacon Hill."

Meas stressed a staunch conservative policy that would task the state’s public sector, including schools and transportation among other departments, to offer tax breaks for businesses offering jobs in the Commonwealth

"The government should be off of my back, out of my bedroom and out of my pocketbook," he said.

He also discussed how his background as an immigrant would negate many of the concerns about racially charged politics on topics such as EBT card abuse and welfare reform.

"I cannot be labeled as a racist or anti-immigrant," he said. "As a minority candidate I can truly speak to those whose voices aren’t being heard. I am the American dream."

Meas, who owns a business in Lynn, campaigned unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination to challenge Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, for the 5th Congressional District in 2010.

Toohey similarly said he’d represent the working class but with a more even-handed approach developed by his years of contract negotiations on the Haverhill School Committee.

"I’m looking to further that experience in the legislature that I’ve demonstrated here in Haverhill," he said. "One person can make a difference. If I didn’t believe that I wouldn’t be here tonight."

Noting he’s "held the line" on spending for the Haverhill Public Schools over the years, Toohey said he’d look to "trim the fat" in the state budget with greater transparency and accountability.

"The areas you say 'no' to are wasteful spending," he said. "Start from ground zero and work your way up."

As a resident of the district his entire life, Toohey said he recognizes the challenges unique to the border community of the district, such as keeping shoppers and business behind state lines, and the concerns of its residents.

"What people are saying day in and day out is they’re tired of being tired," he said. "They’re looking for someone in the Legislature to listen to them."

Toohey, a self-employed mortgage banker, has served on the Haverhill Public School Committee since 2004.

"We need to do a better job."

Though Republican candidates pushed for less government involvement in the district, their Democratic challengers said they’d look to develop a better government to support business growth, empower the district and protect vulnerable populations.

The three candidates viewed many of the questions involving politically charged topics, such as the aforementioned EBT reform or the push for voter identification, as distractions from developing jobs and protecting the quality of life for all citizens.

They also wanted to establish a greater transparency for their decisions at the Statehouse to restore public trust in Beacon Hill and, more importantly, the perceptions of the Democratic party among the middle class.

Timothy Coco, owner of a media company in Haverhill, said he would enter the Statehouse a complete outsider to existing party politics and strife to represent the district.

"I’m not a politician," he said. "I am a small business owner and an active community leader. I see the opportunity to move forward."

Coco said his experience as the owner of a small business has taught him about the many advantages afforded to large corporation but kept away from the middle class.

"Small business isn’t looking for a handout," he said. "They’re looking for a level playing field."

In addition, he said highly conservative rhetoric of the past few years has proven toxic to political progress.

"We need to stop looking at the conservative ideology that divides us and look for solutions," he said.

Kathleen O’Connor-Ives, who has served as an at-large Newburyport city councilor for the past five years, said she’d want to see the district avoid a "race to the bottom" under Republican leadership.

She said she’d support maintaining many of the unions and social safety programs throughout the state, provided there’s accountability.

Using her experience on the Newburyport City Council as a reference, she stressed a good candidate for the district must be one willing to cross party lines and develop a "consensus" for the state’s goals.

"It’s all about good priorities and (establishing) a consensus," she said. "I want to be your voice on Beacon Hill as I am a problem solver, not a problem maker."

O’Connor-Ives works as an attorney and runs an online shop.

William Manzi, a former city councilor and mayor of Methuen, focused on the importance of developing a stronger, and more competitive, economic base for the 1st Essex District.

He said the district’s status as a "border community" to New Hampshire has given communities challenges frequently left ignored by state government.

"We need to make it easier to do business in the Commonwealth," he said. "You can’t push the border back but I think the border areas have been the orphan child at the Massachusetts Statehouse. We need to do a better job of helping our border communities compete."

Manzi said his time in public office spent managing budgets and local funding has made him aware of the inequities facing communities.

"People are frustrated by what they see as dysfunction," he said. "I think we can all do better. Democrats and Republicans."

Independent candidates Paul Magliocchetti, of Haverhill, and James Kelcourse, of Amesbury, weren’t invited to participate in the debate because they have no party primary election in September.

b. They will be invited to alternative debate at a future date.

The primary elections will take place on Sept. 6. The final election for state legislative seats occurs during the presidential election on Nov. 6.